Southland s02e04 Episode Script

The Runner

- Season 2 Episode 04 - - The Runner- Previously - You're turning me in? - You're damn right I am. What the hell?! Stop the car right now! He's going to the farm. He can dry out. - This sucks. - He could've killed you. There's no place to hide. You will be on TV. One bullet hole in the back. It's a clean wound. Shooter probably used a nine millimeter. Can you get the coroner so we can flip her over? Any other visible marks or bruises? None that I can see. All right. On three. One, two, three. Pretty girl. I'd say she's 19, 20. Burn marks on her mouth. Crack pipe? Yep, probably so. Burn marks on her fingers, too. Can you get shots of both of these? Every victim has a story. Detective Lydia Adams has seen this one before. Go talk to Weezy. Hey, guys. This is Ray. Ray, this is Nate and Sammy. - How you doing? - Owner of the house says he's leaving for work at 6:00, found the girl in his yard already dead. We can probably get a time of death from the coroner. Did he recognize her? Found this in the bushes, two houses down. No wallet, just a set of keys. And a school ID. S.U.L.A., Nicole Hill. Guess she took a wrong turn coming outside the library. Big party at a gang house down the block. We know the kid, Weezy, from Pyro Bloods. I'll go talk to him. All right. Pardon me, did you hear anything last night? Gunshots maybe? Please, on this block? Every night I hear gunshots. I wear earplugs. Maybe you saw something then. Somebody chasing the girl, something? See no evil, hear no evil, do no evil. The only good thing I ever learned from the Bible. Actually, it's: "See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil." And it's Buddhist. They're so sweet when they sleep. - Wake up, Weezy! - Weezy, wake up! - Morning! - What the fuck?! What you motherfuckers doing in my house? A girl got killed outside your house. Who did it? I ain't seen it. I was inside. What'd she do, cheat on you? Did she steal your money? I ain't even know that bitch. I just heard about it. You arresting him? No, ma'am. Just having a conversation. He don't conversate unless he have to. He have to? No ma'am. Then get out my house! Dewey in rehab. I can't wait to see what this looks like. Rehab. Rehab. It's more like a freakin' spa with a bunch of ex-addicts walking around in flip flops and yammering about their higher power. - You've been there before? - Yeah, I visited. Tell Dewey he owes me a plate of tacos! Tell that bastard even I miss him! You know you're gonna be stuck going to that funeral with me. It's your last chance to get out of it. I'm good. All right, don't say I didn't warn you. Death and drunks in the desert. Some day. Get out of here, what are you doing?! Get out! I got shell casings. I got some shoes over here. Nicole was barefoot. Maybe she kicked them off trying to run. What'd you guys find out from party boy? He loves his grandma. Two shell casings. The shooter fired here and then here. Victim only had one bullet wound. That means either the shooter missed or there's a second victim. We'll check the hospitals. We'll head north, Kenny and Andy can go south. That was fast. I guess our crackhead murder just got an upgrade. Yeah, now it's the tragic death of a promising S.U.L.A. student. Mr. Hill? Yeah, that's me. I'm Detective Adams. This is Detective Suarez. I see you used to run track. Actually, they all do, except me. Our oldest daughter, Michelle, won the bronze medal in the Olympics. You must've been proud. And Nicole has set several records - for the S.U.L.A. team already. - Leslie, enough. I don't mean to be rude, but you you ain't come here to talk track. No, we didn't. We're here about Nicole. Our baby. I'm sorry to have to tell you this, but Nicole was killed. How? - She was shot, sir. - On campus? No, about half a mile from here on Slauson. She was in the neighborhood. Is that unusual? Our daughters did not socialize in this neighborhood. When was the last time you saw Nicole? A month or so ago. She's so busy with track practice and school Did you notice a change in that time? Mention any new friends? She was seeing someone. A football player at school, Tyler. Tyler Prescott? The linebacker for the Tigers? Yeah, he's from the projects. But Nicole lived in the dorms. What could I do? Two parents, good home, a free ride to S.U.L.A. This girl had no excuses. She just blew it. You always this hard on the victim? You know how it is around here. Dads are either in jail or on drugs. And Mr. Hill worked a hard job for a long time to make sure those girls got out of this neighborhood. Nicole still ended up on the wrong side of Slauson. In my neighborhood, the street was Lincoln. It was the dividing line, right? Growing up, my mom would be like, "Do not cross Slauson." But now there's gangs on both sides of the line. You grew up around here. King 54, there were shots fired in the vicinity of 36th and Budlong. This unit's not involved. Yeah, I grew up around here. We get gunshot victims every night. What you looking for? Someone with gang tats acting shady about what happened. Door number three, enjoy. Thank you. No, what happened to you, ese? You get shot? Yeah, blew my ear off. Who shot you? He did. He tried to kill himself. And missed? You put the gun behind your ear, then you just flinched before you pulled the trigger? She said she was gonna break up with me. Ain't worth livin' without her. It's gonna be all right, baby. I saved the ear. Wanna get something to eat? Tyler Prescott, that football player Nicole was dating, he was arrested last year. Assaulted a woman at a bar. Black eye, bruises on her neck. That didn't make the paper. Yeah, that's 'cause she dropped the charges. Probably driving around in a brand new Lexus right now. Lots of football boosters, they they own car dealerships. You saying some football nut paid her off? People love their teams. And the school lets him keep playing. Who shot you? I ain't see. I'm the one shot in the back, ain't I? Were you with that girl, Nicole Hill? Hell, no. She the target. I got clipped 'cause I was standing near the bitch. Why would someone wanna shoot Nicole? Lot of people got beef with the Hill sisters. Sisters? - Was Nicole's sister there too? - Nah, man, she too good for the hood. Nicole that way, too. You hear about 'em, but you don't see 'em. "They're track stars." "They go to S.U.L.A." "They're gonna go to the Olympics." Fuck that. So, what was Nicole doing at that party? Tryin' to score crack. Turned out to be a crack ho like the rest of 'em. Who sells to her? Nobody. She rip and run. She burn through a lot of dealers that way. They must have been pissed. - Anyone after her? - They all after her, man. What you think? We're Detective Adams and Suarez. We're here to speak with Tyler. Can we come in? Yeah. It it's kind of a mess. Midterms are coming up, but Looks like Tyler doesn't spend much time here. I've never even met the guy. Yes, I have it right here. Tyler lives in Hayden Hall, suite 12E. No, he doesn't, and you know that. Excuse me? We went to suite 12E, and the guy that does live there says that Tyler lives off campus and he drives to school in an Escalade. Mallorie, the L.A. Times is here. We provided on-campus housing as part of Tyler's scholarship. If he chooses to live elsewhere, that's his business. I want that address. We seem to be miscommunicating. I don't believe a second the football team doesn't know where he lives. - Detective, I'm trying to cooperate. - No, you're not. You're stonewalling me, you're impeding the investigation of a murder of one of your students. First of all, Nicole wasn't even a student at S.U.L.A. anymore. She was academically disqualified for not maintaining her GPA. The letter went out two days ago. You're abandoning this girl in order to protect a football player who has an arrest record and a history of violence against women? That charge was dropped. If you don't want to give me Tyler's address, I'll pull him off the field in the middle of Saturday's game and interrogate him right there, in full view of the cameras. Pull Tyler off the field in the middle of a game? Not even a suspect. I got the address. I can't follow you. One minute, you're mad at Nicole for blowing it all, and then, the next, you're defending her against a football player we haven't even met. That's cos I can't stand the lying and the covering up. Look at this place. This beautiful campus in the middle of the ghetto. When I was in high school, my bus used to pass by here every day, and it might as well have been Buckingham Palace. You can look, but you can't go in. Nicole got in, and she deserves just as much protection as Tyler. You're a fascinating woman, you know? Shut up. Dewey tell you what he wants to make up to you for? Besides being a dick for the past five years? Chickie's the one he needs to make amends to. He's been begging her to come out, and she won't. I don't blame her. You know how many people are going to watch that video on YouTube? Before he was an abusive alcoholic, Dewey was a good cop. - Really? - He was a great cop. Not the guy you'd wanna invite over to your house for barbecue. Unless you're freaking sick. But if you were going into a situation, you'd be glad it was Dewey that had your back. Man, that's too bad. Old girl was fine. Your girlfriend was murdered, and all you can say is she was fine? We need to speak in private. These are my boys. What you gotta say to me, you can say in front of them. Come on, man, get that. All your boys can get out. All right, homey, I'm out. So, I heard that you and Nicole were dating for a while. Yeah, me and Nicole hung out for a minute. I cut her loose. Why? Nicole was cool till she got into that blow. Couldn't have that around me. - Got a career to protect. - Where'd she get the blow from? Dig that! Get it, get it. Turn the game off now. That you on the game, man? Yeah, that's me. Except my ratings should be higher, man. I'm way faster than that, yo. That Oregon game, you were on fire, man. You saw that? Lost 300 bucks on that game. You're pretty fast. Fast with them hands, too. Saw you got suspended two games last year for assaulting a woman. Like to get rough with the ladies? That assault charge was fake, man. Bitch was all over me. I got a I have a right to protect myself. They should have kicked your ass off the team. The season I'm having? Ain't no way. We're four games away from the BCS championship, baby. Can you get that, bro? There he is. Detectives, I'm Joe Cosaboom, campus general counsel. Who called you? I understand you investigating the murder of a former student. Why are you talking to Tyler? - He knew her. - Fine. I'm here so Tyler knows he's free to answer, but doesn't have to. All this special treatment, and you don't even carry the ball. Where were you last night? Last night let me see. Last night, I was right here. Just where I was supposed to be. Anybody else with you? Nah, I was kicking it solo. Got a game on Saturday. Curfew's 9:00. You expect us to believe that you were here at 9:00 p.m. on a Sunday night? Baby, you can come over tonight and, see for yourself if you want to. Now you know why he doesn't wanna leave. Oh, my God. I knew you would come, baby. I knew you would come. - I told everybody about you guys. - What's up? - You want some coffee? - No, thanks. You guys good? Check this place out. Is this awesome or what? It's bright, it's clean. I got fresh flowers all the time. And Bobby, takes cares of us. Right, Bobby? YouTube, man! - They call me YouTube around the place. - No kidding. It's not like Paris Hilton or Lindsay Lohan hang around the joint, right? I'm the closest thing to a celebrity this place has to offer. Come on, baby. So, we can't speak to the head coach, but we can speak to the assistant coach, with a lawyer? That's correct. I'm the one that deals with the players outside the field. - Did Tyler make his curfew last night? - Yeah. I spoke with him a little bit after 9:00. - In person? - I call the players. Did you call him on his cell or on his landline? Tyler doesn't have a landline. I talked to him on his cell phone. You call me right now on my cell and ask me, "Are you in Tahiti?" I can say, "Yeah, I'm in Tahiti." You got a problem with Tyler's alibi, get a warrant for his phone. This interview's over. I can't even tell you. It's like a giant weight has just been lifted off my shoulders and I feel great. - You look great. - Right? - Yeah, you do. - Come on. I want you to ask me something. Anything. Anything you want. About what? About my disease. About how I let it wreck my whole life. Come on, John. I don't wanna have any more secrets. I'm only sick as my secrets. If I don't have any secrets, I'm not sick anymore. Don't you wanna know how much I was drinking? Sure. On a work day, I put away 6 to 12 beers in the morning. Come home and have another 20. You were drinking On a work day. More if I wasn't. I could polish off a half a gallon of vodka by myself. You guys have to understand. I would wake up in the morning shaking so bad, I couldn't walk. I'd have to get six to 12 beers in me just to steady my hand - so I could brush my teeth. - How long did this go on for? Five, six years. How the hell did you let it go on for that long? Five or six years? Hold it. It's all right. He's mad at me. That's real. Want to take a swing at me? If you wanna knock me out, come on. No, I'm serious right now. Hit me. Sit down. Come on, I'm serious. Crack me one. Sit down. I'm gonna get some coffee. You want something? Tyler told us that Nicole and he just hung out. Tyler's a liar. I barely saw her. She slept at his place, all the time. Did she do drugs with him? He'd take her to, like, trendy nightclubs. There'd be free champagne and coke on platters. When did she stop going to classes? A couple months ago. I tried to get her help, but there's no drug counseling program here. They just gave us pamphlets. Pamphlets? School has a lawyer on every corner for Tyler and no protection for Nicole. Guess track doesn't pay as much as football. When did she start doing crack? Like, when Tyler broke up with her. She lost a lot of weight. And a couple weeks ago, I came home, and she had my iPod and some jewelry She was gonna sell it? I yelled at her. I told her to get out. I should've helped her. She was my friend. Thanks for coming. Dewey talks about you guys all the time. - Get you a cup of coffee? - No. Okay, cool. Hey, guys, my name is Glen, and I'm an alcoholic. Hey, Glen. I'd like to get started today with Dewey. He's got a couple visitors. I'm Dewey, and I'm an alcoholic. These are the two guys I've been telling you about. This is, John and Ben. They're pretty much the reason why I'm here. John sort of saved my life. He made my partner turn me in when I was drinking on the job. If it wasn't for this guy, I'd be just another drunk driving around the streets of L.A. So, I just wanted to say thank you. I love this guy. So, John, would you like to say something in support of Dewey's recovery? I want you move off of Tyler Prescott. They got to you, too? Unless you can find something to tie him to the murder, I don't wanna hear any more about him. We need a viable suspect. What've you got? She did a bunch of rip and runs in the neighborhood. We're trying to get some names. No one's talking yet. What're you doing here? I don't know if you've noticed, Detective, but this murder has generated quite a lot of press. I did. I saw all those news trucks in South Central and I thought, "White person must've lost their dog." I want this case closed. You want me to approve overtime? Done. You want resources, tell me what you need. But bring me the shooter. Go like this, you got something on your face. Right here. Still there. Hilarious. You know that? Feels good to be riding today. Instead of cooped up in a surveillance van with that loud mouth. Come on, Gil's all right. Just gotta get used to him, you know. Hey, there's Casper. Pull over. Hey, Casper! Where you goin' man? What's up, Sammy? What are you doin'? Why aren't you in school? Substitute teacher. You hear anything about that girl who got shot last night? Put me in cuffs, Sammy. What? You're not even a banger. Come on, Sammy, just make it look good. Turn around. Spread your legs. Spread 'em out. Put your hands up behind your head. Just hold it. Put me in the car. Better tell me something or I'm gonna kiss you on the lips. That girl who got killed, they called her "The Runner." Yeah, she did rip and runs. - Who'd she do 'em to? - K-Dog. He's around my age. Down with Avalon Street. Been talking about how he's gonna smoke the bitch. You don't wanna talk? Next time I'll take you down to the station. Get back to school. - Later, Sammy! - Pull your pants up. Officer, officer, you gotta help me. Every time I come home from work, there are these hos in my house. - I don't want them there no more. - Who's lettin' them in? My husband! Thanks, Nate. Let us know what you find. Gang unit's got a lead on a dealer. Just got back from the coroners. And they found cocaine - in Nicole Hill's body. - I wish I could say I was surprised. And they also found out that she was seven weeks pregnant. She was pregnant? There's your motive. If it's his baby. Seven weeks ago, Nicole and Tyler were together. He felt threatened by the baby, and he didn't wanna support her. We're Detectives Adams and Suarez. Are your parents home? My parents went to the funeral home to make arrangements. Can we ask you some questions? When was the last time you saw your sister? Month and a half ago. Nicole insisted I go to this fancy restaurant with her and Tyler. She wanted to impress me. You know that Nicole was doing drugs? We all did. My parents were in denial. Especially my dad. Did you confront Nicole about it? And I should've. Nicole and I weren't close. She hated me for being perfect. My dad pushed her so hard to follow my footsteps. She didn't even wanna run. - Did your father know that? - Of course he did. Don't you get it? I only won a bronze in the Olympics. Dad wanted a gold. Boots, you in here? Yeah, yeah, man. You know, I did a lot of stupid and reckless things back on the job when I was drinking Just you know what? Just give me I was just saying that, I did a lot of things that I regret. It's okay. Everyone's just happy that you're taking care of yourself, OK? You know, one of the worst things that I did was when I didn't let you search that gangbanger. You know, when you wanted to and of course we all found out he had a gun. Bastard shot me with it. Yeah, it's okay. Look, just let me finish, okay? I'm trying to make amends with you. It was your first day on the job and because of my poor judgment, you had to bring somebody down. Even though the bastard deserved it, probably wouldn't have happened if it wasn't for me. Yeah, yeah, look, I I don't know what I'm supposed to say. But It's okay, man. I accept. It's not like I asked you to marry me. Mr. Hill, Nicole was pregnant. Did she tell you who the father was? - Was it Tyler? - We don't know. We can't get a DNA sample without probable cause and we don't have it. Well, then you all need to do whatever it takes to get it. I mean, that's why he killed her. He just didn't want her to have his baby. We're pursuing a lead that Nicole was stealing crack from a dealer. My daughter did not do drugs! I'm afraid she was, Mr. Hill. Nicole did not do drugs, did not steal. She was not some crack whore. She was an elite athlete. She had Olympic potential! - You've no idea who Nicole was - Who are you to think you can tell me who my child was? Let's go. We'll be in touch, Mr. Hill. You're trying to blame everyone for this girl's downfall. It's the school, it's Tyler, it's her dad. I'm not saying she wasn't a part of it. I'm just frustrated. I hear you. And I really can't get over the fact that she didn't even wanna run. Why? When I run, it feels like the most natural thing I can do. Well, it might be that for you, but it wasn't for her. Yeah, well, maybe it would've been, if her dad didn't push her so hard. - Your pop still in the picture? - No. Just me and my mom. Must be proud of you. For now, instead of 30 beers a day, Dewey's drinking Gonna be fun to ride with. This friend of yours, he died in the line of duty? Was he sick? My ex-wife's gonna be there. I'd like to meet her. This is Club Elysium out in Studio City. - Recognize this guy? - Tyler Prescott. And he lied. The time stamp says 11:32. He broke his curfew. He could've been at that party. And we know this guy. His name's his name's Sisco. He was at Tyler's place today. - Who's he rolling with? - Avalons. Mid-level guy, he's an enforcer. I bet you anything he knows that dealer K-Dog we're looking for. I didn't have anything to do with what happened to Nicole. - Neither did Tyler. - When'd you find out she was pregnant? Pregnant? Definitely didn't know that shit. Come on, man. Tyler wanted Nicole out of the picture. You put one of your baby bangers up to it. Everybody know Nicole got lit up 'cause she was stealin'. Stealing from K-Dog? Is he one of yours? And if he is? Then you need to tell us where to find him. - What you gonna do for me? - What? I tell you what you wanna know, what you gonna do for me? I'll tell you, we'll walk out of here without arresting your ass. That's it. - What you gonna arrest me for? - You miss a court date last month? Owe your baby mama some child support? Little pooh-butt. All I said to him was "Don't let her get over on you." I didn't tell him to smoke the bitch. Where does he hang? On the corner, over on 51st and Beaudry. Keep a nine-millimeter in the baby stroller. Is that your friend's wife? Good afternoon. We are here today to celebrate the life of Clark Henlen, a beloved husband, a doting father, a trusted colleague, and a dear friend to many. Clark and Wendy started coming to our church when their son Dylan was born. I remember Clark telling me he hadn't been to a church since he was a child, but having his own child made him wanna be connected to something bigger than himself. - Adams. - You have to stop him. My father's gonna kill him, he's gonna kill Tyler. Wait, wait, calm down. Is this Michelle? My father got a gun and he went to Tyler's apartment. I tried to stop him. All right, we're on our way. You drive. Beige Pontiac on the left. Driver's seat. Mr. Hill, turn off the ignition, open the door, and step out of the car. - Turn off the vehicle. - All right, all right, I'm doing it. Turn around and put your hands behind your head. What is this about? This is so humiliating. You should have thought about that before you picked up a gun. What were you thinking? I wasn't. I just I didn't know what else to do. I just want my daughter back. I'll call your wife when we get to the station. I'm so glad you came. We've missed you. L.A. keeps me busy. This is my partner Ben Sherman. We work together. I'm sorry for your loss. Thank you. How you doing? My name is John. I knew your dad. Stroller. He's going for something in the bag. Los Angeles Police! Put your hands in the air! Let me go, man, I gotta take care of my baby brother. - You keep a gun in his diaper bag? - He needs a bottle, - that's why he's crying. - You think that's taking care of him?! You're a fucking idiot, you know that? Come on. All right. You're all right, man. Laurie, this is Ben. - Ben, this is my ex-wife Laurie. - It's good to meet you. Well, I thought they handled that as gracefully as they could. It was a nice service. How's Wendy? She's doing okay. I don't know what she's told the kids. How do you tell a kid your dad killed himself? It's best to keep it simple. I guess it's a good thing that Wendy found him. It's just it's sad, John. I'm gonna go be with her, okay? - It was nice to meet you. - Nice to meet you. So your friend killed himself? He shot himself in their garage. You have any idea why? Let's hit the gas station before we get on the highway. Where's my brother at? He's fine. You don't need to worry about him. You need to worry about yourself. I am worried about myself. My mom is gonna kill me if she come home and the baby ain't there. Look, I can see that you're a good kid and I'm trying to do everything I can to help you, but I got a problem. This ballistics report right here it says the gun that we found on you was the same one that killed Nicole. I ain't killed nobody. Not according to Sisco. He said you were embarrassed that she was stealing from you. You told everybody you were gonna kill her. Sisco ain't say that. Yes, he did. He said all the kids were laughing at you, making fun of you, - and you just couldn't take it anymore. - That ain't true. Sisco told me to smoke the bitch. I so wanna believe you, K-Dog. He knew she would be at the party. He told me to do it there, said he'd make sure nobody snitched. Did he say anything about Tyler Prescott? Are you sure he didn't say anything like you'd be doing Tyler a favor? Look, Sisco said this bitch was fast, but she couldn't outrun a bullet. I didn't wanna kill her. I I tried to shoot her in the leg, so she couldn't run, but But what? But I missed. Not a bad first day, partner. Not bad. Catch you tomorrow. All right. Ex-wife seems cool. - How long you guys married? - Five years. When Clark was still in L.A., we'd go on double dates together, he and Wendy and me and Laurie. After Laurie and I split up, I'd see Clark out at gay bars. He'd ignore me. Couple months later, he and Wendy moved out to Indian Wells and had kids. Anyway I appreciate you coming today. Long day. Hell, yes. Hey, Mom. No, I no, I know it's late, I I'm fine. Because I I just wanted to say that that I know you made a lot of hard choices along the way, and I resented you for a lot of 'em. And I just wanted to say thank you. And how's France?